Bellingham: New teacher contract signed

Wednesday

Jun 11, 2014 at 12:01 AMJun 11, 2014 at 5:44 PM

By Matt TotaDaily News Staff

BELLINGHAM – The School Committee signed a three-year teacher contract on Tuesday, resolving an often-caustic dispute that had lasted for more than a year.Chairman Daniel Ranieri passed around the documents for members to sign. Applause erupted from those who had come to watch, including parents and teachers."I think everyone on the committee and all of the parents are relieved that this is over," Ranieri said. "We all feel that it should have ended a long time ago."He added: "We can now put this behind us and work together to make the system better."In an emailed statement, Bellingham Teachers Association President Ben Roy said he was pleased with the contract settlement, but said, "It is unfortunate that the School Committee felt the need to drag it out this long under the guise of saving taxpayers money."Teachers are happy to be finished with this," Roy added, "but damage has been done and it may cost Bellingham some great teachers."The contract includes salary increases in each of the three years: 1 percent in September 2014, 2 percent in 2015, and 1 percent in 2016. Further details have not been made public.In November, the negotiating teams nearly reached a deal during mediation.But the talks abruptly stalled over the absence of a seventh salary step for nurses. In the last few weeks, the sides agreed to move forward as long as the union opted to pay for the increase using resources from the contract.Last week, the union ratified an agreement of terms reached in November and another stating it would pay for the nurses' step out of the contract. Roy said the step will cost teachers about $18,800 over the life of the contract.The committee and union leadership also agreed to dismiss labor charges they had filed against one another. In April, the state Department of Labor Relations ruled in the committee's favor, finding enough evidence showing the union failed to bargain in good faith, among other charges.Ranieri believes the state's ruling prompted union leaders to look for a resolution. "No doubt the decision by the labor board in favor of the School Committee proved a significant reason why the Bellingham Teachers Association came back to resolve this," he said.Committee members appeared relieved as they penned their names to the contract documents. A little over a year ago, they sat in the same room listening to Roy, who was dressed in black, accuse Superintendent Edward Fleury and Ranieri of illegal bargaining and fostering hostile negotiations.Vice Chairman Michael Carr, who all along had called for the union to ratify the November agreement, kept his comments terse: "It's been a long road, and I just look forward to moving forward."Matt Tota can be reached at 508-634-7521 or mtota@wickedlocal.com.